On a Moonlit Night
by GrayWolf84
Summary: A perfect summer day leads to a perfect summer night. What could go wrong? Remember, this is Hazzard County. Rated T for some action, violence, and some squeamish content. Feedback welcome!
1. A Night at the Lake

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**On a Moonlit Night**

**Chapter 1: A Night at the Lake**

**Just like any other part of the country, Hazzard County has its good days and bad days. Now, which is which might depend on who you ask - it could be raining cats and dogs outside, but it would be the best day of Boss Hogg's life if just one of his schemes actually worked and brought him all that money he wants. Then again, that same day might be real bad for the Duke boys, 'cause Boss is happiest when he can get rich and jail them in the process. Besides, on a real rainy day, even the General can get stuck in the mud.**

**But this isn't one of those days. Naw, there's not a person in Hazzard that wouldn't love a day like today. It's Friday - payday, which makes Boss real happy cause everyone spends their paychecks in his bar. It's one of those golden days of summer, a day for a picnic of fried chicken and lemonade, with a warm sun and a fresh breeze and friends to share it with. And when the sun goes down, the full moon rises bright and brilliant in the sky, and a country boy could hardly ask for a more beautiful and romantic night to drive his girl out to the lake. After all, what could go wrong on a night like this?**

**Now, for those of you new to Hazzard, that dark-haired boy there in the bed of the white pickup is Luke Duke, talking and laughing with pretty Helen Samuels as they look up at the night sky. Luke's Uncle Jesse was kind enough to let him borrow the pickup for the night. Luke's cousin Bo was driving their car, the General Lee - that's that bright orange one over there, with the big 01 painted on the side. And that blond-haired boy there on the blanket is Bo Duke himself, doing a lot less talkin' with Helen's younger sister Ann. At least, he was, until his cousin interrupted.**

"Hey Bo!" Luke called over to his cousin. Bo ignored him. "Bo!"

Mocking a scowl and making Ann giggle, Bo leaned back on his elbows and turned towards Luke's voice. "What, Luke!"

"Any idea what time is it?"

Ann giggled again at Bo's exasperated look. "Luke, why would I care what time it is? Uncle Jesse isn't expecting us home soon and we ain't got anywhere to be."

"I thought you told him we'd be back around midnight?"

"I said we'd be back **after** midnight, and it ain't midnight yet anyway!"

"Okay, okay, sorry cuz."

Bo could hear Luke's hushed voice muttering something to Helen, and her laughter in response. He shook his head and turned back to Ann.

"Cousins!" he exclaimed with a shake of his head. She leaned up and kissed him again.

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**Daisy Duke, that pretty little girl there in the shorts, is Bo and Luke's cousin. While they've been out with their girls, she's been workin' at the Boar's Nest, the classiest joint in Hazzard. Friday night's a rowdy night at the bar, and she's just finishing work at 1am.**

_"Shepard callin' Bo Peep, Shepard callin' Bo Peep, you out there Daisy?"_ Uncle Jesse's voice came over the CB as Daisy started her Jeep.

"Right here, Uncle Jesse, I just got off work. What's goin' on?" she replied back.

_"Oh good. Daisy honey, I just got a call from Jim Samuels up on Parker's Bend, says Bo and Luke haven't brought the girls home yet, and he's not sure whether to be mad or worried. Bo said they'd be out late at Wyle's Lake, but I cain't raise them on the CB. Could you take a drive by and see if they're there?"_

"Sure thing, Uncle Jesse. I'll let you know if I find them."

_"Thank you, Daisy. Be careful."_

**Now, knowin' that this is Hazzard County, what do you think the odds are that ol' Jim Samuels should be worried instead of mad?**

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	2. Sounds in the Dark

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**Chapter 2: Sounds in the Dark**

It hardly took Daisy fifteen minutes to reach the turnoff to Wyle's Lake from the Boar's Nest. Any other young woman might be afraid, driving down them dirt roads in the pitch dark late at night, but not Daisy. She'd grown up in these parts, and with the little bit of light shed by the moon through the thick trees, she was at home as a squirrel in a tree. She'd spent her own fair share of time on the lake, lookin' up at the stars with her cousins or in the arms of a new beau. It was a beautiful spot, well out of the way of neighbors and nosy sheriffs. The gentle hills around the lake sloped down to the shore in a smooth, sandy beach just below a bend in the track close to the dirt road. On the far side of the lake, the hillside had been eroded by the river that originally formed the oxbow lake, leaving a high cliff overlooking the lake and the surrounding hills. Best of all, two different dirt tracks led away from the lake, allowing teenage revelers ample time to spot the law (or angry daddies) coming and get away without a trace.

Daisy reached the dirt track that circled the lake and turned right, headlights bobbing on the bumpy road. She looked back and forth from the road to the lake, trying to spot her cousins or their cars. She was fairly sure they'd be parked up on the far side, but she didn't want to miss them in the dark. At one break in the trees, she caught a glimpse of movement on the water. Braking, she looked closer and smiled. Four figures were in a small rowboat, one of them pulling on the oars toward the center of the lake. That would be Luke, she was sure, though she had no idea where the rowboat had come from. Two more were seated close together, with a third sitting behind - Helen, Ann, and Bo, she guessed.

Daisy drove on along toward the beach, but frowned when she parked her jeep next to two unfamiliar sedans. She climbed out and walked down to the water's edge, squinting to see details better in the bright moonlight. The rowboat stopped in the center of the lake, and two of the figures stood, pulling the other two to their feet as well. Daisy was about to call out to them, but her voice froze in her throat in horror as the rowman lifted a gun in his right hand, clearly outlined in the moonlight, and fired.

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The first crack of gunfire jerked Luke from a light doze. When a second blast immediately followed, he knew he wasn't dreaming. He was on his feet at the sound of two watery splashes, heart pounding at the feminine scream that echoed across the lake.

"Bo!" he called, jumping down from the truck bed.

"I heard it too," Bo called back softly, moving to join Luke at a trot. Ann was close behind him, pale in the moonlight, and Helen soon joined her.

Both men looked out across the lake at the rowboat with its two occupants and the sizeable ripples the spread out from the center of the lake where the boat had been moments ago. Male voices called angrily from the boat to the shore, and were replied to in kind. A female voice cried out in protest, rising louder than the others.

_"Let me go!"_

Wide-eyed, Bo and Luke turned to each other, and spoke simultaneously. "Daisy!"

Luke thought fast, glancing from Bo to Helen to Ann.

"Bo, I don't know what just happened, but we've got to get Ann and Helen out of here. You take them the back way out in the truck - I'll take the General and go after Daisy. Meet back at the farm."

He was already headed for the orange car when Bo protested.

"Now wait a minute, Luke, they've got guns! I'm not letting you go down there alone. We've got the bows in the General, why don't both of us go after Daisy and Ann an' Helen can head out without us. They'll be safe if they can get away without being seen."

Luke frowned, looking up at the girls. He didn't want to leave them unprotected, but Bo had a point.

Helen spoke first. "Luke, he's right, we'll be fine - I don't want to see you get hurt going alone."

The elder Duke nodded assent. "Okay, then. Helen, be careful. Go straight on home - your daddy is probably worried and madder than a wet polecat anyhow. Keep your ear on the CB, but keep quiet until we call you," he instructed. She nodded, kissed him on the cheek for luck, and strode towards the driver's side of the truck. Ann climbed in beside her after a goodbye kiss to Bo.

Luke cast a worried look across the lake as the girls drove off behind them. The rowboat was halfway back to shore, and the commotion hadn't ceased.

"Let's go, cuz!" Bo urged from the driver's seat of the General. The engine roared to life as Luke slid across the hood and climbed into the passenger seat. Dust flew into the air as Bo reversed the orange car and swung to the left, speeding down the shorter of the two routes to the far side of the lake.

Luke strained to see the rowboat or the beachfront of the lake through the trees. "Now I don't know if they saw us or not, but that was definitely Daisy, and she's definitely in trouble."

"What are we gonna do, Luke?"

The elder Duke looked over at his cousin. Bo had his eyes focused straight on the road, with determination in his face outshadowing a hint of fear. Though young, the twenty-year old was hardly a boy anymore, with a courage born of strength and confidence - and a shade of recklessness thrown in. Luke was proud to have him at his side in any fight.

"Well, if they're at the beach - you pull in just this side of that knoll, so they don't see the car. I'll slip around and come in from the other side. Do we have any dynamite left?" He glanced back in the back seat.

"No, I think we used it all showing off to the girls," Bo replied guiltily.

"Figures. Well, you go up to the top of the knoll and distract 'em…"

Luke finished explaining his plan just as they reached the last knoll before the beachfront. Bo backed the car into the shade of a knot of trees, and they both climbed out. It had only taken them minutes to circle the lake, but a quick glance through the trees showed the rowboat just reaching the shore.

"Good luck, Bo."

"Be careful, Luke."

With that, Luke was off, slipping silently across the dirt track into the cover of the trees. Bo watched him for just a moment before opening the trunk of the General. He retrieved his bow and a handful of arrows, shut the trunk, and loped up the low hill, keeping to the shadows of the trees. Keeping low, he crept to the crest of the knoll and assessed the scene below.

The moon shined brilliantly down on the open beach, revealing seven figures standing at the water's edge - one unmistakably Daisy, held in the grip of two large men who could easily be mistaken for gorillas, accompanied by two more lean, tall figures facing the two climbing out of the rowboat.

"Let's just get her in the boat and drop her in the lake too," one of the tall men argued.

"No!" the rowman snarled, "Did you see the headlights on the other side of the lake? We need to get out of here. We'll dispose of her later."

"So what? It's probably just some stupid hicks drinking moonshine and hunting possums, who run off at the first sight of us. If we dump her now, we don't have to worry," the same tall man argued back.

"Alec's right, Sonny, let's just get rid of her now," urged the second man from the rowboat. The others nodded agreement.

Sonny scowled darkly before giving in. "Hurry up, then. You row, Snake, my arms are tired," he spoke to one of the large men before turning towards the cars.

Daisy shrieked as the large men pulled her towards the rowboat, digging her heels in the sand and fighting to loosen their iron grip. Bo's heart twisted in his chest. _Hurry up, Luke!_ he thought. Then he heard it. **Whiiip-puwiw-weew whiiip-puwiw-weew** came the trilling call from the trees across the beach - Luke's whip-poor-will call, barely discernable from the real thing. He was ready.

Steeling himself, Bo sucked in a lungful of air. "YEEEEE-HAAWW!" he cried out his best rebel yell. His cry echoed across the lake.

"Who was that!" Alec exclaimed below, stopping just shy of pushing Daisy into the boat.

"Sounds like your drunken hick," Sonny remarked snidely. He stepped forward, searching the land around them. "Who's out there!" he called, "You show yourself, nice and slow! You wouldn't want anything to happen to your lady-friend here!"

Bo stood and stepped forward slightly to the edge of the shadows, his bow hanging in one hand. "I'm sorry, mister, I didn't mean to scare you!" he called down, "I'm out huntin' for possum for Mama. I just bagged me a big one! Wanna see?"

Sonny rolled his eyes. "Well sure, son, why don't you come down here and show me?"

"Sure thing!" Bo continued the act, reaching down to pick something up from his feet.

It took a moment for Sonny to register the arrow Bo brought up and nocked to his bowstring. "He's shooting at us, get him!" the man screamed at the same moment Bo loosed the arrow. The sharp point hit the front tire of the first sedan with a **thunk**. "The cars! Shoot him!"

Luke leaped out of the bushes behind him at the same moment five men charged towards Bo on the knoll. Sonny had taken hold of Daisy for only a moment when Luke slammed into him, knocking him into the ground.

"Run, Daisy!" he ordered, jumping back to avoid Sonny's leg kicking out at him.

**Thunk**! Another arrow hit a tire on the second sedan, followed by another to Daisy's jeep. **Thunk**! **Thunk**! Bo fired as fast as he could, trying to disable the vehicles below and keep the rough gang from giving chase. The five men pulled out guns as they ran for the hill, stopping every few steps to fire at the blond figure above. Bo ducked and dodged in the moonlight, watching Luke's fight with Sonny below. Daisy, at least, had gotten off safely into the trees.

**Now, ain't it a good thing the bad guys never seem to be able to hit the broad side of a barn? Otherwise, Bo might be in a bit of trouble.**

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	3. Escape with a Capital E

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**Chapter 3: Escape With a Capital E**

Luke was doing some ducking and dodging of his own, trading blows with the man called Sonny. The other five didn't seem to have noticed their battle yet, focused as they were on the blond Duke on the hill. As it was, Luke had taken a few good hits, and was watching for his chance to break for the trees. Daisy'd had plenty of time to put some distance between her and this bad scene, and he was in no hurry to take on this murderous crew one at a time.

Luke's chance came a moment later, when her heard the engine of the General Lee roaring over the top of the hill. Bo headed straight for his five pursuers, scattering them like tenpins. Luke took one last swing at Sonny, knocking him back on his tail, before charging to meet Bo on the dirt track. His cousin hardly slowed the car as Luke dived through the window, and they took off down the track. The General's horn called 'Dixie' as Bo beeped for Daisy, who appeared out of the trees a few hundred feet down the track. Daisy climbed in beside Luke, and Bo floored the gas pedal, tearing off and leaving six angry, murderous villains behind them.

Bo, Luke, and Daisy were all gasping for breath as the General reached the main road, but the youngest Duke cousin didn't slow down one bit. Luke hugged Daisy close, mentally thanking God that she was alright while she cried into his shirt.

"Oh God, oh God, did you see..? They…they…they killed them! They killed them, and they would have killed you! Luke, I was so scared, when I heard Bo and I saw him up there and they were shooting and I thought they would shoot me…" she sobbed as her cousin did his best to comfort her. After a few minutes her shock seemed to wear off, and she looked up and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Uncle Jesse sent me after you…" she began to explain.

"Uncle Jesse!" Luke exclaimed. He'd clean forgotten how late he and Bo had been out, and immediately felt guilty - he hadn't even thought about whether Helen and Ann got home safely. He turned and picked up the CB, only to realize he'd shut it off earlier that night. Switching it on, he keyed the mike. "Lost Sheep to Shepard, you got your ears on?"

_"Luke! Where on earth have you been!"_ Jesse scolded with a mixture of anger and relief.

"Uncle Jesse, I'll explain as soon as we get home. I need you to call the Samuels and find out if Helen and Ann got home okay," he asked, figuring the truck's CB was probably turned off too, "and call Rosco, get him to meet us at the farmhouse."

_"Now! Are you alright? Is Daisy with you?"_ Jesse asked worriedly.

"Yes, now. We've got Daisy, and we're all…fine…" Luke released Daisy to turn and look at Bo, who hadn't said a word since leaving the lake. The elder Duke paled, releasing the CB mike. Bo was still breathing hard, intently focused on the road, trembling with the effort of holding the steering wheel steady. The cloth of his shirt was torn at the right shoulder, black and soaking wet with blood.

**Uh-oh. Looks like those men were better shots than usual. Luke better get him to a doctor, and _fast_.**

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	4. In Stitches

**Author's Notes: Squeamish alert! I rated it T for a reason. Thanks!**

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**Chapter 4: In Stitches**

"Bo! Are you alright!" Luke exclaimed, looking from his cousin's face to the bloody wound on his shoulder. Daisy looked past Luke and gasped. Blood was running down Bo's arm and gathering at his elbow to fall to the seat below. The younger Duke jumped at his name, and turned to look at Luke as though he'd only just remembered his cousins were in the car with him.

"I…yeah, why?" he asked blankly.

"Bo, you're bleeding. Did they hit you?" Luke asked the redundant question. Bo didn't answer as he turned his eyes back on the road and saw they'd drifted onto the left side of the road - going 95 miles an hour. With a twitch he jerked the General back into the right lane. Luke picked up the CB again.

"Lost Sheep to Shepard, you still there?"

_"I'm here, Luke. I called the Samuels, and the girls just got home, and they're fine, just a bit shaken up. Now will you tell me just what happened out there!"_ Uncle Jesse demanded gruffly.

"Not over the CB, Uncle Jesse," Luke refused. "We'll be home in a few minutes, but…you'd better call Doc Appleby too, and ask him to come over quick. Did you get ahold of Rosco?" He looked back at his cousin worriedly.

_"Not yet, I only just hung up the phone with Jim Samuels. You'd better be home quick, Lucas Duke. I don't like being kept in the dark, especially when you two are involved."_

"I understand, Uncle Jesse. Over and out."

Luke hung up the CB mike with a glance out the windshield. They were just approaching the Johnson farm on the main road - just a few more minutes. He turned to Bo, and reached for the torn cloth of his cousin's shirt. "I'd better…"

"Don't!" Bo cut him off. Luke's hand fell back. "Don't touch it, Luke." His voice was edged with pain.

"Bo…" Daisy protested.

"Bo, at least pull over so I can drive!"

"No, I can wait. It's not that bad," Bo insisted softly. Neither Luke nor Daisy believed him.

Uncle Jesse was waiting on the front porch, with his shotgun in hand and within hearing distance to the CB and phone in the kitchen, when Bo pulled the General up in front of the farmhouse. Daisy climbed out and dashed towards her uncle, and he pulled her into a comforting hug.

"Shh, it's okay, it's okay," he soothed, not knowing what was wrong or if it really was okay.

Luke climbed out right behind her, and he was no sooner on his feet than all three turned toward the sound behind him. Bo was leaning heavily against the big weeping willow with his good arm, retching the last of a good picnic dinner. In an instant, Luke was at his side, pulling Bo's good arm around his shoulders. When the youngest Duke's stomach ceased to rebel against him, he slumped wearily against his cousin, and allowed himself to be led up the stairs and inside the farmhouse. Jesse and Daisy follow, the Duke clan patriarch wise enough not to make a bad situation worse with demands for explanations - yet.

While Luke lay Bo on the couch, Daisy ran to fetch clean towels, and Jesse set water to boil on the stove. He rejoined his eldest nephew as Luke was searching Bo for more injuries, speaking to him softly as he knelt on the floor.

"You're gonna be alright, Bo, the doc's on his way, we're gonna take care of you," he murmured. When he found no more obvious wounds, he asked, "Are you hurt anywhere else? Don't you fib now, Bo Duke, this is important."

"No, that's all that hurts, just my arm," Bo whispered. He held his good arm across his face, hiding his closed eyes, but he knew Luke was giving him a dubious look. "I swear. It feels better, now that I'm laying down. Was starting to get dizzy."

Jesse had been watching silently, torn with worry for his young nephew, but knowing that Luke was as good with wounds as himself. A revelation hit him though, and he couldn't keep quiet. "You let him drive like this!" he asked Luke angrily as the dark-haired man accepted clean towels from Daisy and gently layered two underneath the length of Bo's arm.

"I didn't know he was hurt until after I talked to you," Luke responded quietly, then switched and addressed Bo. "Bo, I'm gonna have to cut your shirt off, okay?" His brow furrowed deeper with concern when his cousin only whimpered in response.

With a knife, Luke carefully lifted the cloth of the blue t-shirt and cut through the cotton, first across the line of Bo's collarbone, then down the right side. He peeled the edges away from the sticky coagulating blood and left Daisy to ease the rest of the tattered fabric from under Bo.

"You with me, buddy?" he asked gently.

"Yeah, Luke, jus' don't feel good. 's cold," Bo whispered. Luke looked up to see Jesse there with the heavy quilt off Bo's bed. He lay it across his nephew, leaving the wounded shoulder exposed, and tucked it around him, pulling off his worn boots in the process.

"Thanks, Luke," Bo whispered again. There were tears in Jesse's eyes.

Luke looked back at the bloody wound and was relieved to see that it wasn't as bad as it could have been. The bullet had torn a deep open gash across the muscle of Bo's shoulder just below the joint, passing cleanly and hitting neither bone nor artery. Though the deep, wide tear had bled heavily, it was beginning to clot. Doc Appleby should be able to simply stitch him up, and with some rest, Bo would be good as new in a few weeks. Luke sighed with relief, and heard Jesse do the same, knowing he must have come to the same conclusion. Taking a small towel, Luke pressed it tightly to the wound with one hand while preventing Bo from pulling away in protest with the other.

"Easy, Bo, easy, you're gonna be fine," Luke soothed again, holding direct pressure on the makeshift bandage.

Bo relaxed under his grip, taking a ragged breath. "That hurts."

"I know, but it'll stop the bleeding."

Sensing the worst was over, Jesse stopped hovering over Luke's shoulder and moved a few feet to sit down in his favorite chair. Daisy, watching silently up to this point, took the cue and sat down in another chair, while Luke settled himself more comfortably on the floor next to the couch. He held pressure on the gash with one hand, his arm draped across Bo's chest, reassured by the feel of the strong thumping heartbeat and deep breaths under his arm.

"Now, Luke, why am I still up at 3am near worried to death with my youngest lying bleeding on my couch?" Jesse asked as evenly as he could manage.

"Well, Uncle Jesse, I don't rightly know all of it, but I expect Daisy can fill in the rest. See, me and Bo headed out to the lake with Helen and Ann, like we said…"

He was interrupted by the sound of a car approaching outside. Fearfully, Jesse picked up his shotgun and strode to the window.

"Looks like Rosco," he announced, "Followed by Doc Appleby." Everyone relaxed again. Daisy followed Jesse to meet the visitors at the door, while Luke watched from the family room.

"Enos!" Daisy exclaimed at the figure that stepped out of the squad car. Enos and Doc Appleby both walked up onto the porch, and Jesse ushered them in.

"I thought Friday was your night off, Enos?" Daisy asked, standing with him and Jesse in the kitchen. The country doctor immediately saw his charge and joined Luke with Bo in the family room.

"Well, usually, yes, but Rosco is out of town with Boss this weekend, so the operator called me when Jesse called her," Enos explained apologetically, glancing after the doctor.

"Out of town? Where did they go!" Daisy interrupted.

"Well, I don't rightly know, Daisy. Boss told me it was none of my business, and Rosco told me to hush, and that was the end of it. What all happened here? Is Bo alright?" Enos asked finally.

"Oh, I think Bo will be just fine," Doc Appleby announced without looking up from his patient. He'd quickly examined the wound, approved of Luke's efforts, and begun stitching the muscle back together with fine, neat movements of his nimble fingers. Three audible sighs of relief sounded in the Duke home. "He's lost a good bit of blood, but he's young and strong, and with some rest and a few good meals, he'll be back to causing trouble in no time. You're very lucky, though, young man," he spoke to the youngest Duke, who was trying not to flinch with each prick of the needle, "A little to the left, and you might have lost use of your arm. A lot to the left, and that bullet might have killed you."

"Bullet! Someone's been shooting at Bo!" Enos exclaimed.

"Yes, I think this is a story I'd like to hear as well," Doc Appleby declared.

All unoccupied eyes turned to Luke and Daisy.

Luke spoke first, sitting on the arm of the couch at Bo's feet. Enos, Jesse, and Daisy made themselves comfortable. "Well, like I started tellin' Uncle Jesse, me and Bo headed out to the lake with Helen and Ann. We took a picnic dinner, and planned on stayin' out there late, y'know, star-gazing, and talkin'…"

"And kissin'," Bo added.

"Well, yeah," Luke agreed. "So it was getting late, and we lost track of time, and I…well, I fell asleep." He shifted uncomfortably. "I woke up to the sound of gunshots, and I heard Daisy scream across the lake."

"Someone snuck up on you and shot at you? When did Daisy get there?" Enos asked.

It was Daisy's turn to explain. "See, I'd just gotten off work, and Uncle Jesse called me on CB and told me Luke and Bo hadn't come home yet, and asked me to go check the lake and see if they were still there. I headed down there…" She went on to explain how she saw the men in the boat and the two strange cars on the beach, the murder of the two boat passengers, and how some more men snuck up behind her and grabbed her. "That was when I screamed," she added, and told them how the men shouted back and forth between the boat and shore about what they were going to do with her. "Then Bo shows up on the hill…" she trailed off, looking to her cousins to finish.

Luke explained their quick decisions with the Samuels girls, and their plan to get Daisy away from her captors. "Bo was supposed to distract them, and I'd sneak in from behind and get her away."

"I did distract them!" Bo said defensively. "I shot out their tires with my bow, so they couldn't follow us when we got away. They came charging up the hill after me. When I figured they were too far away to keep Luke from rescuing Daisy, I bolted for the General. One of them must have hit me when I was runnin' - I swear I didn't feel anything more than a mosquito bite."

"An' then Bo came down and picked us up in the General, and we got out of there fast…you pretty much know the rest," Luke finished, looking at Jesse.

"Murderers…in Hazzard!" Jesse said slowly, his mind racing.

"And Daisy's a witness," Luke said what everyone was thinking.

"Now, Daisy, did ya'll use each others' names at all?" Enos asked.

"Oh, no, Enos, definitely not!"

"But they saw the General," Bo spoke as Doc Appleby bandaged the newly stitched wound.

"And Dixie is still down there," Luke added, referring to Daisy's jeep, "If they look at the registration, they'll know where to look for her."

"Hey Jesse, you mind if I use your phone?" Enos asked, mentally tallying the phone calls he needed to make. Jesse nodded silently, and Enos slipped out of the room. A moment later they heard him on the phone in the kitchen.

"There now," Doc Appleby said as he adjusted Bo's arm in a sling and covered him back up with the warm quilt. "I'm gonna give you some antibiotics, to prevent infection, and a couple of these," he fished a pair of orange medicine bottles from his satchel, "For the pain." Counting out a pair of each in one hand, he helped the youngest Duke sit up to swallow the pills and some water from a glass provided by Luke. "Two of the antibiotics every four hours," he instructed, handing Luke the bottles. "And two of the painkillers whenever he feels he needs it, no more than every four hours. I don't think I need to add that he shouldn't drive after taking them, nor should he use that shoulder at all for at least a week. Come by my office on Monday, and I'll have a look at how well he's healing."

Luke and Jesse both nodded. They'd both make sure the instructions were followed.

"Now, Jesse, do you have any ice?" the doctor asked, studying Luke's face. In his concern for Bo, Luke had completely forgotten his own minor wounds, and he now sported a swollen black eye and a bruised jaw. Appleby judged that the cut on his brow wasn't bad enough to need stitches, but he brought Luke a bag of ice wrapped in a towel from the kitchen for his eye. With one last survey of his patients, Doc Appleby took his leave. "Unless there's anything more, I'll be headed home. Take care, and good luck with those men. Call me if you need me."

"Thank you, Alan," Jesse shook his hand warmly. Luke and Daisy murmured their thanks, and Bo waved with his good hand from the couch. Enos tipped his hat to the doctor as he passed him coming back into the family room from the kitchen.

"Well, I got ahold of the FBI in Atlanta," Enos explained. "They're gonna send a team down to search the lake in the morning. There's not much we can do tonight, but, uh, I don't want to leave y'all alone here, knowing those men might come after you," he added, looking from Jesse to Daisy - especially Daisy.

"That's mighty kind of you Enos, but…" Daisy began to refuse, but Luke cut her off.

"That's a fine idea, Enos. You can sleep in Bo's bed, and if anything happens, you'll be right here with us." Luke wasn't about to refuse extra protection after a night like tonight.

"I agree," Uncle Jesse approved of the plan, "We don't know what to expect from those men, and I think it's best if we all stick together. I'll sleep in here tonight with my rifle handy, and in the morning when the FBI gets here, we can go get Dixie from the lake."

"Well alright!" Enos said, nervous at the thought of the gunmen but pleased that he'd be here to protect Daisy if anything happened.

Everyone was tired, so it wasn't long before the Duke family and Deputy Strate were settled down for the night. Luke decided to sleep in the family room as well, feeling protective of his younger cousin. He stretched out on some blankets spread next to the couch. Uncle Jesse sat comfortably in his chair, shotgun close at hand, sipping hot tea and eyeing his nephews with concern. Daisy was in her room, Enos in Bo and Luke's, and Bo had long since drifted off to sleep once the painkillers had kicked in. Luke thought he already looked better, with the color coming back to his face. Slowly, he fell asleep himself, to the sound of crickets chirruping in the summer night air, and the soft moonlight streaming in through the windows.

**Whew! That was some night for the Duke boys. Hush now, and let's leave them to get some rest. Somethin' tells me they've got a long weekend ahead of them.**

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	5. The Morning After

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**Chapter 5: The Morning After**

Seein' how late everyone was up on Friday night, and how exhausted the Duke cousins were, it was hardly surprising that no one - not even Uncle Jesse - woke up until late Saturday morning. Daisy came into the kitchen - already dressed, seein' how Enos had spent the night - to find Jesse heating more water for coffee on the stove. She gave him a sleepy greeting and a kiss on the cheek, and went outside to collect eggs from the chickens for breakfast. She came back soon, basket in hand, to find Luke and Enos both awake, sitting quietly at the table with steaming mugs of coffee in front of them. After exchanging 'Good mornings', Daisy set about making breakfast - a hearty one, to double for lunch too. While she was cooking, Enos received a call from Mabel, the operator, on his radio, telling him the FBI team had arrived and was waiting for him to escort them to the lake. With a long look at the bacon frying on the stovetop, the deputy excused himself, promising to call or come by later with news.

Fifteen minutes later, Daisy was serving out breakfast to Luke and Uncle Jesse when Bo padded sleepily into the kitchen, running a hand through his tousled blond hair to straighten it out.

"Do I smell breakfast?" he asked, pulling out a chair across from Luke.

"How you feelin', cuz?" Luke asked, pleased to see him on his feet. His younger cousin had slept soundly, though Luke had woken several times to check on him.

Bo smiled. "Fine, an' hungry. Did I see Enos just leavin'?"

"He spent the night in your room, just in case those men came lookin' for Daisy and you boys in the middle of the night," Jesse explained, folding his hands to pray thanks. Luke and Daisy did the same - Bo just bowed his head, unable to properly fold his hands with his right arm in the sling.

After a moment's silence, all four looked up, and Bo dug straight into the meal. It was awkward at first for him to eat left-handed, but he managed well enough to polish off twice the eggs, bacon, toast, and fruit as either of his cousins. Uncle Jesse, who usually chided him for wolfing down his meals, watched with a smile knowing the boy would need the energy and nutrition.

"This is great, Daisy, thank you!" Bo thanked his cousin, licking cold milk off his lips. Luke pushed the last three strips of bacon towards him, which he accepted, delighted.

Jesse sat back with a full stomach, setting down his coffee mug. "Well, it was a quiet night, but I don't expect it'll be quiet for long. We need to make sure those men get behind bars, and quick, before they can come after any of you three." Luke, Bo, and Daisy all looked to him attentively, awaiting his orders. Wild as they could be, the Dukes were nothing if not obedient to their Uncle Jesse. "Luke, I want you to call Cooter up and have him take you and Daisy down to the lake for Dixie. Enos will be there with those federal agents, so you should be plenty safe. Take your bow just in case." Luke nodded understanding. "Don't worry about your chores, I'll stay here and take care of things until you get back."

"An' what about me, Uncle Jesse?" Bo asked eagerly. "I can take the General into town and…" He faltered at Jesse's stern gaze.

"You, Beauregard Duke, are going to go back in that living room and sit on that couch and you're not going to _move_ without me or Luke or Daisy there with you."

"Aww…" Bo's face fell, but he didn't dare protest too loudly.

"Oh, Bo, before I forget," Luke stood suddenly and stepped into the living room. He returned with the pair of orange medicine bottles and handed them to Bo. "Doc Appleby said two of the antibiotics every four hours, an' two of the painkillers if you need it."

Bo wrinkled his nose at the narcotics, but opened up the second bottle and swallowed a dose with the last of his milk. Luke and Jesse looked on, satisfied. Daisy was the first to stand.

"Well, Luke, you better go on and call Cooter. I'll clean up these dishes while we wait for him."

A few minutes later, Luke reached the tow-truck driver, mechanic, and all-around vehicle expert on the CB. He relayed his request, promising explanations when his friend arrived. Jesse ushered Bo back to the couch, arranging the pillows and blankets at hand so the young man could sit up comfortably. Luke brought out some clean clothes from Bo's drawers and, with Daisy turning her back, helped his cousin change into fresh boxers, jeans, and a button-down shirt that they carefully eased onto his injured arm. Though privately annoyed by what he considered unnecessary pampering, Bo could see the love and concern in his family's faces, actions, and words, so he gave in and let them take care of him.

In no time, Cooter's truck pulled up in front of the farmhouse, followed, to everyone's surprise, by another familiar vehicle - Jesse's white pickup, driven by Jim Samuels himself. The young family friend gamboled up onto the porch and courteously held open the door for Farmer Samuels, who thanked him with a nod. Luke was just finishing buttoning his cousin's shirt for him.

"Bo! What'd you do to yourself, buddy, finally get caught snitching peaches by ol' Seth Dunning? That looked like blood in the General!" Cooter exclaimed with a grin as he strode into the living room, clapping Luke on the shoulder by way of greeting. Samuels followed him in with a somber expression.

"Bit worse than that, I'm afraid," Bo shook his head, avoiding his Uncle Jesse's suspicious look that made him sure a phone call would be placed to Seth Dunning later inquiring about recent trespassers on the farmer's orchards. "How are you, Mister Samuels? Uncle Jesse said Ann and Helen got home alright?"

"Yes, they did, thanks to you boys," Samuels confirmed, "I came to return Jesse's truck, but I can't say that I wouldn't like to hear the full story of just what happened last night. All I got from my girls was a jumble of frightened nonsense."

Bo nodded understanding, and turned to his cousin. "You tell 'em, Luke, I can't hardly remember half of what Daisy told us."

For a second time, Luke told the story of the trip to the lake, Daisy's arrival, the sounds, the boat, the murders, the men, the rescue, and their return to the Duke farm.

Cooter whistled, impressed. "Man, I thought you two'd gotten into some trouble before, but if that don't beat all…You better be careful," he warned, turning serious, "Those boys are sure to come callin', and not for cookies an' tea. I wonder who it was they killed? I haven't heard of anyone missing in Hazzard, an' I been out and about all morning."

Samuels frowned with concern. "Sounds like you boys, an' Miss Daisy, were lucky to escape with your skins intact - well, mostly," he nodded towards Bo. "Are you gonna be alright to handle this?" he asked, looking not at the younger Dukes, but right at Jesse.

Jesse looked about at his family for a moment before replying. "We'll be alright, I think, once we know more about what's going on, and what to expect."

"Daisy and I were just about to go with Cooter down to the lake, to get Daisy's jeep. Enos is out there now with some FBI divers to look for the bodies. We were hoping to get some kind of update from them, and then find out in town if any strangers have been asking for us," Luke explained.

Samuels nodded. "That's a good idea. I think I'll let the neighbors know what's going on, and I'm gonna keep the girls and Joshua in until I hear more."

"We can give you a ride back to the farm," Luke offered.

"Thank you, Luke. I'm much obliged for how you kept my girls safe…"

Bo let out a mental sigh of relief - he'd take gratitude over an angry daddy any day.

"…But the next time either of you keeps them out late like that, **I'll** be the one doing the shooting," Samuels finished, with stern looks at each young man.

"Yessir."

"Yessir," Bo echoed.

Jesse stood up from his chair. "Well, if you boys are all set, I've got some work to get to outside. Time an' tide wait for no man, and neither does a milk cow. Luke, you, Cooter, and Daisy drive Mr. Samuels home safe and get on out to the lake. Don't be gone any longer than you have to. Bo, I'll be out back if you need me - just holler. Jim," he tipped his red cap to the farmer, excusing himself, "Give us a call if you or the missus need anything."

"Thank you, Jesse, we will. Bo, take care of yourself. I'll send Ann by with some cobbler once this is all done," Samuels promised, and followed Daisy through the kitchen to the front door.

It was Luke who noticed the longing expression on Bo's face as Uncle Jesse headed out the back door toward the barn and Cooter disappeared out the front door. He picked up his latest car magazine, half-read, off the coffee table and handed it to his younger cousin. "Sorry, Bo. Next time," he apologized.

Bo gave him a forced smile. "Be careful, Luke."

Luke nodded and smiled back, and left.

* * *


	6. Dukes in Town

* * *

**Chapter 6: Dukes In Town**

Jesse Duke worked through the farm's chores with the steady precision of experience, gently milking the overdue cow, feeding the hungry chickens, mucking out the mule's stall and laying down a bed of fresh sweet hay. He left the nonessential chores for later, and stopped for a break in the early afternoon to get a drink of water from the kitchen. A glance into the living room saw his young nephew fast asleep again, snoring softly, Luke's car magazine spread across his chest. Jesse's heart twinged at the thought of the boy's latest close shave with death, but he was proud of how both his nephews had acted when Daisy was in danger. Something about being a Duke did seem to invite trouble, but it was the sort of trouble that no honorable and just man would run from. It was hard now, in the bright, sunny afternoon on the quiet farm, to imagine some hidden danger waiting somewhere beyond the farm.

Satisfied that Bo was fine for the time being, Jesse finished his glass of water and headed back out the door. He wanted to work on the old tractor, which had barely made it through the spring plowing season. After gathering some tools, rags, and a can of oil from the shed, he made his way into the far end of the barn where the tractor stood, pushed there by his nephews in the first days of summer after the engine gave out entirely. Whistling a tune he half-remembered from the radio, Jesse opened up the tractor's hood and took a look inside.

------------

After dropping Jim Samuels off at his home, Cooter, Luke, and Daisy headed for Wyle's Lake. All three were quiet, searching the road ahead for signs of trouble or disturbance and thinking solemn thoughts. They reached the lake turnoff without incident, rumbling down the dirt road in the hefty tow truck. Luke recognized the tire tracks of freshly turned earth where the General had torn through the night before, overridden here and there by the tracks of other vehicles. Daisy scanned clusters of bushes and dark shadows beneath the trees, searching for a sign of the enemy. It was strange to think of what had happened in such a quiet, serene setting.

Before long, they arrived at the lake's perimeter road and turned right towards the beachfront. Ahead, they could see a black van, a late-model black pickup truck, and Enos' squad car, all blocking the access road. Daisy spotted the white frame of her Dixie just beyond. Cooter parked the truck next to the deputy sheriff's car, and the all climbed out.

"Can I help you kids?" a pale-skinned man in a gray suit asked, stepping out from between the other two vehicles. A pistol hung in a harness beneath his suit jacket, and his eyes were covered by a dark pair of sunglasses. Luke shifted his pace to put Daisy behind him.

Enos appeared behind him, stepping blithely. "Oh, that's Luke an' Daisy Duke, Agent Chalmers," the deputy exclaimed. "And Cooter! Y'all come for Daisy's car?" He brushed past the federal agent to greet his friends.

"Yeah, Enos, and we were hoping you might have found out more about who those men were," Luke replied, glancing past him to the federal agent who still stood next to the pickup. Chalmers was glowering at the young deputy, his annoyance and distaste clearly evident.

"Well, I'm sorry, Luke, but I don't know any more than you told me last night," Enos apologized. "The divers are still working out there, and I'll tell ya…" he lowered his voice. Luke, Daisy, and Cooter all leaned in a bit closer to hear him. "…These FBI guys are shut tighter than Boss Hogg's hand on a dollar. They won't tell me a thing, but I just know they know somethin'. When I called them last night, they were real quick to wake up the district supervisor, and I usually can't get much past ol' Nate Knowles' secretary. Makes me kinda nervous, you know?"

"Figures, it must be something big. Let us know what you find out, will ya' Enos?" Luke asked, glancing at Daisy. She took the cue.

"Keep tryin', sugah," Daisy encouraged the deputy, placing one hand on his cheek, "Even these federal boys have to talk some time - I know you won't let us down." She kissed his cheek, leaving poor Enos stammering.

"I..I…I will Daisy, I promise!" he grinned.

"Now," Luke said, clapping Cooter on the shoulder. "Let's go take care of Daisy's jeep."

Chalmers didn't twitch a muscle as the quartet approached.

"Deputy Strate, would you escort these…civilians…back up to the main road? This is a federal crime scene, and no one but an officer of the law has business being here," the agent stated flatly, barring their passage.

"Now hold on, Agent Chalmers sir," Enos began, "That white jeep over there belongs to Daisy, here. They've just come to collect it, and they'll be on their way. You told me you were done with your, ah, ferenzic work on it, right? Fingerprints and all?" he reminded the stoic federal official.

With an expression that would have curdled milk, Chalmers glared at the deputy, but stepped aside. "Hurry up, and don't go wandering all over the place - I'll be watching you," he growled, clearly suspicious of the trio.

Sidling between the federal vehicles, Luke and Daisy headed for the jeep while Cooter pulled a jack from his truck. Enos went down to the shore to watch the progress of the latest dive.

"Oh, no, Luke! Bo hit both tires, and I've only got one spare!" Daisy exclaimed, inspecting the damage. Luke looked around until Cooter joined them, noting half a dozen clods of dirt dislodged where Bo's arrows had hit the ground here and there. All the arrows were missing.

"Cooter, do you have any spare tires in your truck for Daisy's car? She's only got one, and both tires on the right side were hit."

The mechanic thought for a moment, and shook his head. "No, none the right size. We probably ought to tow 'er in town on the two good tires, an' I'll give you a real good price on a new pair."

Luke looked to Daisy for a moment, then back to the punctured tires. "Well, we'll take you up on the first part, but we can't afford new tires just now. Think you can fix these two?"

"It'll take me a little while, but sure, I'll have 'em just like new."

While Cooter replaced the punctured rear right tire with the good left front one, Luke approached Agent Chalmers again.

" 'Scuse me sir, but we were hopin' you might move the truck here, so we can get the tow truck past. We're gonna have to tow the jeep in town to get new tires," he explained.

With an expression on his face that clearly communicated that _this_ was the part of his job he truly hated, Chalmers stalked past Luke without a word and climbed into the truck cab, slamming the door closed.

_City people - and feds!_ Luke thought with a shrug, and rejoined his cousin.

As Cooter lowered the jack, Daisy leaned in the front passenger side and opened up the glovebox, remembering the previous night's conversation. She gasped. Her registration was gone!

---------------

Cooter, Daisy, and Luke rode along in the tow truck, Dixie trailing behind. They all wore worried looks.

"Try the CB again, Luke," Daisy urged. Twice they'd tried to contact Uncle Jesse, with no response.

"Lost Sheep to Shepard, Lost Sheep to Shepard, you out there Uncle Jesse?" Luke spoke into the mike and paused, waiting. Nothing. "Daisy, he's probably outside somewhere, he just can't hear us. You know he's been wanting to work on that tractor."

"Then why don't Bo answer?" Cooter asked. Luke shot him a _You're not helping!_ look.

"I don't know, he could have snuck off, he could have convinced Uncle Jesse to let him help, he could have fallen asleep! You know Bo, 'member the time he slept through that tornado? He's takin' a nap one afternoon after plowin' the north fields, he wakes up, and field's all torn up, with half the old north barn clean gone!" Luke attempted to make Daisy smile. She didn't look convinced.

"Let's just hurry. The sooner we get Dixie fixed, the sooner we can get back to the farm."

"Well, I'll lend y'all a new pair of tires so you can head home quick, while I fix those two up," Cooter offered.

"Thanks, Cooter. I owe you one," Luke sighed.

It was a long ride into town, although it only took half an hour. Luke mentally urged the heavy truck to go faster, as though sheer will would carry it along. Once they reached Cooter's garage, he jumped out to open up the garage doors while Cooter backed Dixie into the bay. A feminine voice caught his ear.

"Why there's young Cooter and that Luke Duke now! What nice boys, helping strangers like that!"

At first he ignored the comment and the response that followed, but something in the words struck him off-key. Luke turned to locate the speaker. Two elderly ladies sat on a bench across the road, chatting and throwing birdseed to a chubby trio of squirrels. Leaving Cooter and Daisy to take care of the tires, he checked for traffic and strode across the road.

"Afternoon, Miss Daniels, Miss Martin! How are you?" He forced a friendly smile.

"Very well, thank you Luke," one of the women replied warmly, "What brings you over here? You've been busy this morning!"

"Well, ma'am, I couldn't help but overhear what you said, about me an' Cooter helping strangers out, an'…well, I was wondering what you meant, 'cause that's my cousin Daisy, and I've been on the farm all morning!"

The second woman looked up at him. "Oh, you must be mistaken, dear. It wasn't an hour ago that we watched those two nice men drive up and go into young Cooter's shop - he never locks it, you know! - and come out with tires for their cars. We asked them what they were doing, because we don't want thieves in our town! They said someone had spilled a bucket of nails on a road outside of town, and that a couple of young fellows in an orange car with a big zero-one on the side had stopped and helped them change to their spares. They said you were in a hurry to get somewhere, but you told them to go on into town to Cooter's garage and pick up whatever they needed, on you. 'That Bo and Luke Duke!' Edith told them, 'Such generous boys! Their Uncle Jesse sure raised them right!'. 'Two young men, one blond and tall, the other dark-haired and a little shorter?' they asked her. 'That's them,' she says, 'Good lads both of them.' 'Well ma'am, you be sure to thank them again for us if you see them,' that one man said, and off they went! Are you alright, Luke? You look pale, dear."

Luke swallowed hard, his stomach a knot of fear. "I'm fine, Miss Daniels. An hour ago, you say? Did you see which road they took?"

"Why, they went north, right on the main road."

"Thank you ma'am - I've got to be going, you ladies take care!" He took off at a run for the garage, only to hear Cooter calling his name from inside. He skid to a stop next to Dixie as Cooter walked in from his back storeroom, carrying a pair of new tires on matching rims.

"Luke buddy! Did you move any of the tires from out back? There's like four or five missin', I don't know where they went!"

Luke snatched a tire from his hands and crouched next to the jeep, lifting it on a jack with a speed that would rival a NASCAR mechanic.

"According to those ladies outside, your tires were stolen by the men who're wantin' to kill their murder witness. They've got our names, and they headed off on the north road out of town!" The Duke farm lay off that northbound highway. He threw aside the punctured tire and slapped the new one in place. Cooter caught on and worked just as fast on the other side. "We've got to get home, fast!"

Tire securely in place, he lowered his jack, found the air pressure hose, and filled it up to pressure. Cooter lowered his jack and Luke handed him the hose across the hood. Daisy climbed into the passenger seat, purse in hand.

"Shepard calling Lost Sheep, Shepard calling Lost Sheep, answer me Luke, Daisy, someone!" Uncle Jesse's voice came across the CB.

Daisy snatched up the mike. "Daisy here, what's wrong Uncle Jesse?"

"Is Luke there with you?" Jesse sounded upset.

"He's right here, and Cooter too."

"Daisy, I need you and Luke back here, quick. I can't find Bo."

**This is startin' to look _bad_. Y'all realize this started with Bo and Luke takin' Ann an' Helen out on a date?**

* * *


	7. Waiting is the Worst

* * *

**Chapter 7: Waiting Is The Worst**

Now, it was true that Bo Duke could sleep through just about anything, including that tornado. But for once, that afternoon, he woke up suddenly out of a sound sleep, feeling like something was wrong. He opened his blue eyes just long enough to see three strangers standing over him, before a rag soaked in ethanol pressed over his mouth and nose, and everything went black again.

----------------

Luke grabbed the mike from Daisy. "What! What happened!"

_"I don't know! I was working out in the barn, and he was sleeping on the couch, and I come back in to start supper, and he's gone! The General's still out front, and he's not anywhere in the house or the barn,"_ Jesse explained.

"We'll be there as fast as we can, Uncle Jesse," Luke promised. He hung up the mike and climbed into the driver's seat of Daisy's jeep. "Thanks, Cooter. I owe ya one."

The mechanic stepped back out of the way as the jeep tore out of the garage, slinging dust in the air as Luke and Daisy raced for home.

------------

Uncle Jesse was waiting on the front porch when Luke pulled up behind the General in the front drive. Luke didn't even stop to say hello as he vaulted past his uncle into the house, calling Bo's name. Daisy hugged Jesse, and as they stood on the porch, they could hear Luke searching through the house. The back door screen opened and slammed shut, and the chickens clucked in alarm as he dashed around them. A few minutes later, he walked out from the back of the farmhouse, dejected.

"He's not here," Luke confirmed, slumping to sit on the porch steps. Daisy sat down behind him, putting her arms around his neck by way of comfort.

"I searched the house, the barn, the yard twice over before I called you," Jesse said softly, "and again before you got here. I just don't know what could have happened to him. I was working in the barn. I checked maybe two hours ago, and he was asleep, so I went back to work. I didn't hear any cars drive up, or people, or anything. It's been quiet all day."

Luke felt angry and guilty - angry at himself, and guilty for leaving the farm when he should have stayed.

"Luke, why don't you tell Uncle Jesse what you heard in town?" Daisy suggested quietly, rubbing his tense shoulder.

"We got Dixie from the lake and towed her in town, and these women…these women in the park…" His voice cracked, and he took a deep, ragged breath before continuing. "Miss Martin and Miss Daniels were in the park, and they said they saw those men stealing tires from Cooter's garage, except they said me and Bo sent them in there, and the men have our names, our descriptions, and Daisy's registration, which means they have our address, and…" he paused his rambling explanation for another deep breath, "And the ladies said they left there about…an hour and a half ago, now."

"Which is enough time for them to fix up their cars, drive out this way, sneak onto the farm, and kidnap Bo while I was busy in the barn," Jesse said what all three were thinking. "Daisy, why don't you go call Enos, and let him know what's happened." When Daisy got up and went inside, Jesse took a seat next to his nephew and threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Luke, they wouldn't have bothered to kidnap him if they were gonna kill him. They'll contact us, and when they do, that's when we act. He'll be alright, you'll see," Jesse said reassuringly, trying to convince himself at the same time. "He's a Duke."

Luke didn't reply, only leaned into Jesse's strong arms and shut his eyes, refusing to let the hot tears in his eyes spill over.

--------------

Bo woke up with a pounding headache. Bright afternoon sunlight shone down on his face, but when he tried to lift his good hand to block the sharp rays, he found his hands were handcuffed together, and he couldn't move the one without aggravating his shoulder.

"I think he's awake, sir." A male voice spoke from nearby.

Bo looked around from the flat of his back. It felt like he lay on hard wooden planks, with a blanket underneath him as a thin cushion. He found another blanket covered him. He stared up at open rafters that seemed familiar, the roof broken and cracked in places to let in the sunlight. The smell of dust and old hay was strong in the air, but not thick - air circulated with a strong draft all around him. The voice and footsteps were behind him, beyond his field of vision. He groaned.

"I think you're right," said a second voice.

Two pairs of footsteps approached his right side, and he looked up to see two strangers standing over him. He squinted up at them. They wore dark clothes and carried handguns in shoulder holsters.

"How do you feel, Mr. Duke?" the first man asked. He was short and stocky, with short brown hair and a neat moustache.

"What do you want with me?" Bo asked in a raspy voice.

"Why, we want nothing at all from you, Mr. Duke," the second man answered. "We simply want you…out of the way."

-------------

Dinner was a miserable affair on the Duke farm. Cooter and Enos showed up to share strategy and support the two cousins and their uncle, but even Cooter's cheerfulness wore down when they couldn't find so much as a track leading away from the farmhouse that would offer them a clue. Daisy determinedly whipped up a meal of chicken and dumplings, but there was little appetite in the five stomachs at the table. All of them kept glancing at the sixth empty chair. They hadn't received a phone call or found any notes, and were worn to the bone with waiting.

Enos broke the silence. "I, ah, I found out a bit about the folks that was…the two…" he faltered, but everyone knew his meaning. "They found 'em just after you left, and I saw them when they brought the b…when they brought them on shore." He paused, unsure. He didn't like to think that the same could happen to Bo.

"Go on," Jesse urged.

"I didn't see the faces, but I saw the clothes…a man and a woman. I think…I remember seeing on the news last week, that senator from Virginia who disappeared, and his wife? I think…I think that's who it was," he finished, poking at his chicken with his fork. "Those FBI agents left, then, and that was it. They didn't say anything to me, nothing at all." It was the first time Daisy had heard Enos sound angry.

"A senator…" Jesse repeated, almost to himself.

After a moment's silence, Luke set down his fork on his untouched food and pushed back his chair.

"Luke, you sit down and eat your dinner," Jesse ordered, hoping to keep some semblance of order in the home.

Luke silently ignored him and strode out the front door, letting the screen swing shut behind him. A moment later they heard him sit on the steps, looking out at the long rays of the setting sun.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Jesse," Enos began to apologize, but Jesse hushed him.

"It's not your fault, Enos." He didn't even chide the deputy for calling him 'uncle'.

Cooter looked up at the Duke patriarch with sad eyes. "We'll stay with you an' Daisy an' Luke, Uncle Jesse, me an' Enos will, until we find Bo." He spoke with surety, not allowing for any other conclusion but a happy ending in his words.

"Thank you, Cooter. I'm glad to have you here."

**Well, one thing's for sure - you sure know who your friends are when trouble comes a-knockin'. Y'all stick around, now.**

* * *


	8. Out of the Frying Pan

* * *

**Chapter 8: Out of the Frying Pan**

The evening passed slowly, without any contact from the kidnappers. Everyone was edgy and tense. Luke was near unapproachable, and spent most of the time sitting on the front porch, taping dynamite with blast caps to a small stack of arrows. Every so often he'd get up, bow in hand, and pace around the house and barn again in silent patrol. He'd stop and look out across the fields to the fences and trees, but he didn't walk more than a hundred yards from any of the buildings. Daisy had called out from work at the Boar's Nest, and sat talking with Enos at the kitchen table. He told her every funny story he could think of about Roscoe and Boss Hogg, but he stopped short when the stories involved Bo and Luke. Uncle Jesse sat with Cooter in the living room playing checkers. Jesse had positioned himself carefully so he could keep an eye on Luke's back through the screen door.

When Enos has run out of stories - or the heart to tell them, at least - the house was silent for a moment but for the click of checker movements. Unable to stand it any more, Daisy set down her mug of tea and stood up.

"Uncle Jesse, I can't take just sitting here! Isn't there anything we can do?" she asked, though she knew the answer.

Jesse's reply was cut off by the ringing of the telephone. Enos stood, straightened his uniform shirt, and answered it. Four pairs of ears listened sharply to his conversation.

"Duke residence…oh, oh, hi…did you…?…They did!…oh no…I'll be sure to tell them, thank you." He hung up the phone and took a deep breath.

"That was Mabel," he told them, "She finally got through to the FBI, and they…they…"

"They what? Spit it out, Enos!" Jesse urged impatiently.

"They said to call back during regular hours Monday morning, if we want to file a missing persons report."

Cooter's jaw dropped. Jesse turned three shades of purple. The _skritch_ of tape resumed on the porch.

"We're on our own, then," Jesse said, when he had himself under control. His voice shook with anger. Enos nodded.

Daisy looked heartbroken. "I, ah…I'm kinda tired, I think I'll go to bed early," she said quietly. She kissed Jesse goodnight and headed for her room, the door near slamming shut behind her. They all cringed to hear muffled sobs a moment later.

Jesse looked at Cooter and Enos. "I better go talk to her," he said, and made his way down the hallway.

Enos sat back down at the table, idling fingering his coffee cup. Left without an opponent, Cooter went outside, and sat down on the porch steps with Luke.

"Hey, Cooter," Luke greeted him softly without looking up from his task.

The mechanic was surprised - it was the first Luke had said since before dinner.

"How's it going, Luke?" he replied. Silence punctuated Luke's lack of response.

Looking up at the bright stars and the moon that crept up above the treeline, just past full, Cooter commented, "Y'know, it's been a long time since anythin' happened in Hazzard that you Dukes couldn't fix, or that I couldn't help you with. Between Boss Hogg and Rosco, thieves, swindlers, even dognappers," he chuckled at the last one as he listed them off. "I don't like having to sit around here like this any more than Daisy."

Luke was silent still, and Cooter was about to get up, when the eldest Duke cousin spoke. "We don't have any leads. Nothing to go on. Nowhere to look, or even to break into. No evidence to find and race back in the General to prove our innocence. Bo's out there somewhere, I know it! But I can't leave Daisy and Uncle Jesse to look. I feel so…helpless," he admitted.

"I know, buddy. Me too."

Cooter stayed outside with him for a while before going back inside. It was getting late. Enos had fallen asleep in his chair. Cooter shook him awake as he passed, pouring himself a cup of coffee and starting a new pot. Jesse quietly exited Daisy's room and closed the door behind him, returning to the kitchen for some coffee as well.

"She's asleep," he told them with sad eyes. "You boys don't have to…"

"We'll stay, Uncle Jesse," Cooter answered for both he and Enos.

Jesse nodded. "Alright, then. Enos, you can take Bo's bed again, and Cooter, if you'd like the couch…" Cooter nodded. "…I'll stay in my chair, and keep an eye on things." He didn't try telling his nephew he should sleep too - he wouldn't be surprised to find Luke standing guard outside in the morning, and he doubted he could convince the boy to do otherwise.

The trio stayed up for a while longer. Enos turned in first, saying quiet goodnights. Cooter gave up on playing checkers against Jesse after the elder Duke hit a ten-game winning streak. He went back outside for a little while, then came in and made himself comfortable on the couch. Jesse put the checkerboard away and refilled his coffee cup, taking a steaming mug out to Luke as well. He had little comfort to offer his nephew but companionship, so they sat together for a while. Chirruping crickets filled the silence. The moon was high overhead when Jesse sipped the last of his drink and stood.

"Luke…" he said soft, but sternly, "I know you're upset, but…don't do anything foolish. We need you here – I need you here. I'm gonna go get some sleep." He didn't need to add 'And you'd better be here when I wake up'.

"I know, Uncle Jesse. I won't, I promise."

"Good lad," Jesse smiled, patting his shoulder. He turned and went inside.

The moon was trailing its way down the arch of the sky when Luke was starting to grow tired. Restlessly he'd paced around the house and barn since Jesse had gone to sleep, leaving caches of dynamite arrows in select spots just in case. He'd sit down, only to hear some whisper of a sound, a twig snapping, a leaf rustling, that would set him on edge again. He'd investigate, to find nothing. Once he went inside for a plate of cold chicken when his stomach reminded him of his missed meal. Now he sat on the porch steps again and leaned his head against the porch beam, closing his eyes. The night had cooled off, and dew had settled onto all surfaces – the grass, his hair and clothes, the wooden planks. It felt good on his skin. He sat for a moment, just like that, letting the tension ease out of his muscles as he listened to the night.

Then he heard the unmistakable metallic click of a pistol cocking, right next to his ear.

Luke's eyes flew open and he leaped to his feet, shouting "UNCLE JESSE!" despite the cold gun barrel inches from his chest. The three men surrounding him smiled cold smiles, and he raised his hands in surrender.

Jesse woke at the shout of warning, only to find himself surrounded as well. Cooter, Enos, and Daisy were hauled roughly from sleep by several more gun-bearing men. Family and friends were herded into the living room, with all exits guarded.

Luke recognized Sonny standing before him with the smug expression of a plan well-executed. The gorilla Snake stood at the back door with two others. Tall Alec stood at the kitchen door with four. Three more stood behind the captives and two on either side of Sonny. The murderous leader laughed as he saw Luke counting the men present against the men from the previous night.

"Had to wait for reinforcements," Sonny said with a feral smile. Then it was his turn to count captives. "Where's your blond possum-hunting brother? He didn't run away like a coward, did he, and leave you to me?" the man goaded.

Luke looked at the thug with a killing glare. "You…!" he began to snarl, but Jesse caught his arm.

"Easy now, Luke. Don't make things worse," he cautioned with a pointed look. Luke backed down, wondering at his uncle's rebuke.

Sonny watched the exchange with amusement. "Well, we'll just have to wait until the little Lost Sheep comes home, won't we? Then we can take care of all our witnesses, where not even the FBI can find your bodies. And you two," he looked at Cooter and Enos, "You picked the wrong friends to visit tonight. Keep 'em quiet," he ordered his men, "And keep an eye out for our friends."

The Duke cousins and their friends were none too gently seated on the couch and chairs in the family room. Jesse had never even had a chance to rise from his old armchair. Luke's heart beat fast with two revelations from the criminal leader's words: one, they'd been monitoring the Dukes on the CB, but two - more importantly - wherever he was, these murderers didn't have Bo.

---------

Not ten minutes had passed before one of the men at the back door quietly called for Sonny, indicating something out past the barn. The gang leader smiled and turned to his men.

"They're comin', boys. Let's finish this _tonight_!"

The men smiled back with nods and quiet words of agreement, pulling out their firearms. Three remained with the captives while the rest readied themselves at the doors. Jesse could see motion out the window – military-style, organized movement from tree to shadow, men who knew how to use the available cover to their advantage. Sonny saw it too, unphased. He signaled his men. They burst out of the doors. The shooting began.

Luke strained to hear and make sense of the commotion outside. It sounded like a war zone – and he would know. Leaders shouted orders, men shouted warnings to one another, gunfire was punctuated by the cries of those hit. The fight waged back and forth, moved away from the farmhouse towards the barn as the criminal gang pressed the enemy, then back towards the house as the enemy pushed back. Sonny's men had taken them by surprise, forcing the fight before they were in position.

Luke noticed their guards were distracted, watching their fellows through the windows and doors. He traded looks with Uncle Jesse and Cooter, who'd observed the same. He held out three fingers…two…one…and they leaped up, knocking their captors down. It was a moment's work before the three were disarmed and unconscious. Daisy found a roll of baling twine, and they hog-tied the three men together. Cooter ventured a closer look out the window.

"It's the FBI!" he exclaimed, seeing the large yellow letters on that jackets of the enemy Sonny's men fought. They didn't seem to be winning.

"We'd better help," Luke said, looking out the window himself, "Enos, you stay in here with Daisy. First chance you get, get out and go for help. Get Jim Samuels and Joshua, anyone you can find."

Jesse, Luke, and Cooter braced themselves at the back doorway. The gunfire had fallen off, as ammunition ran out and there was no time to reload. The fighters had taken to fists, wooden slats, any stray object that came into their hands, with varying degrees of success. The three Hazzard residents charged out of the door into the fray.

**Now, why do you figure whenever somethin' big happens in Hazzard, the Dukes always manage to step square into it?**

* * *


	9. Knights and Pawns

* * *

**Chapter 9: Knights and Pawns**

Bo shook his head at the latest turn of events, leaning his head back to look up at the fading light of the setting sun through the broken roof. He knew, now, that he was in the hayloft of the old barn in the Dukes' north fields – the dilapidated structure half-destroyed by the tornado six years ago. Apparently the loft stairs were undamaged, though the front end of the building was torn clean off. His captors had introduced themselves as Agents Harrison and Chalmers, FBI. He didn't know whether to believe them or not, at first, but he remained their captive just the same. They were as good as their word, though – they had asked nothing of him, no questions, no information, they simply left him under guard, handcuffed to the loft railing.

The agent assigned to guard him – Jack Carter, he said – was younger, about Luke's age, and seemed a nice enough fellow. He'd done his best to make Bo comfortable, adjusting the handcuffs, helping him sit up against a support beam, and providing aspirin against his headache. They brought him a sandwich for dinner, a jug of cold water to drink, and both his medications and Luke's car magazine, which they'd taken from the farmhouse with the blankets when they kidnapped him. He'd asked Carter a few questions about the whole situation, and the young agent didn't seem to find any harm in answering.

"See, Chalmers has been working on this case for months. He began to see a pattern between certain Senate votes and some incidents of burglary, house fires, that sort of thing. When he started to dig, he learned about threats against certain senators' family and friends, attempts at blackmail, bribes, graft, even a kidnapping of one man's daughter. Someone had an agenda they wanted passed in Congress, and they were using any means necessary to get it. Senator Billings of Virginia refused to cooperate. They kidnapped him and his wife. Billings must have continued to refuse – I met him once, he was an honorable man," Carter added sadly, "We think they must have killed the senator and his wife as a message to the other politicians involved."

Bo's jaw hung open. "And the FBI couldn't catch them at all this!" He was no fan of lawmen, but he still respected the competence and ability of the federal agencies.

Carter looked up at him with a smile. "The boys behind it were always one step ahead, covering their tracks, making a move and then disappearing without a trace or a witness – until now."

"But if they don't leave witnesses, they're gonna want to kill Daisy! Not to mentioned me and Luke!"

"Exactly."

Bo stared at him, realization dawning. "You're gonna use Luke and Daisy as bait."

Carter smiled and nodded confirmation, proud of his commanders' plan. He barely scrambled backwards in time to avoid Bo's lunge.

"You lowdown dirty rat!" Bo roared, his expression a mixture of anger and pain as he pulled his left wrist taut against the handcuffs and tried to swing out with his immobilized right arm.

"Hey! Quiet up there!" came the gruff order from Chalmers below.

Carter frowned. "Look," he said in a half-whisper, "Your family will be fine. We've got two men watching the house now, and they'll let us know as soon as Sonny Leavins and his men show up. Then we'll move in and arrest them all in one swoop. Commander Chalmers wanted to get you out of the way because you're injured, and you'd be more vulnerable in a fight. Don't worry about a thing."

Just after that, Carter had been called down below, and Bo had been left to himself. He had dozed on and off, mostly out of boredom. He was anxious inside, but there was nothing he could do. He knew how worried everyone must be to find him missing, and he wished he had some way to get a message out, to warn them of the coming storm. Bo also watched the preparations below – he counted at least three dozen FBI agents moving about, suiting up in bullet-proof vests and loading ammunition. Messengers moved in and out. There were no lights – they didn't dare risk being seen from a distance – but the gibbous moon provided ample illumination as it rose high in the sky. Bo wondered what Luke was doing just now.

It was around midnight, by his reckoning, that Carter came back up the loft stairs, carrying something black in his hands.

"Commander Chalmers told me to help you put this on, if you cooperate," he explained. It was a bullet-proof vest. "When we get the call, he wants me to uncuff you, so you're free to escape if anything goes wrong."

Bo studied him for a moment, and nodded agreement. Carter knelt at his side, and he sat patiently as the agent uncuffed his wrist from the railing. Carter paused a moment, seemingly ready for an escape attempt, but Bo was as good as his word, and only shook out his arm to return circulation. With the young agent's help, he pulled off the sling – wincing as he stretched out the cramped muscles – and his button-down shirt, and secured the flak jacket on underneath. The rough fabric felt strange against his bare skin, and he wished he could give it to Luke instead. Then the shirt, sling, and handcuffs went back on, and Carter headed downstairs.

The waiting gnawed at him, and he could tell that more than a few of the FBI agents were restless as well. He heard the impatient shuffles and shifting around, snatches of whispered conversations quickly hushed whenever Chalmers walked by. He could see the moon leaning down in the western sky through the roof when the radio transmitter crackled to life.

_"Lookout Two calling Alpha One. The target has arrived, repeat, the target has arrived."_

"That's it – let's go, men," Chalmers ordered. Two groups split up and left the barn – the first piling into two pickup trucks to circle around and come up by the main road, and the second cutting straight off across the fields between the rows of low-bush cotton.

Carter dashed up the loft stairs to uncuff Bo, who wished him good luck. With a quick smile, Carter was off, trailing after his fellow agents across the fields.

Bo watched him leave, but he didn't waste any time getting on his feet. He'd had just about enough R&R for the day, and he wasn't about to leave his family in danger without his help. Bo stood up to his full height and shook himself off, stretching out stiff muscles. Then he clambered down the loft stairs and took stock of his options. The FBI agents had left a scattering of goods and equipment around the barn, coffee mugs and spare clothes, but nothing particularly useful. After a quick search, all he found was an arm's length of metal pipe scattered behind some rotting hay. Thinking it more useful than nothing, he gripped it in his left hand and took off through the fields at a trot. He cut off in a different direction than the federal agents, along a shorter route, his bare feet pounding in time the steady rhythm of his heart.

-------------

Bo approached the farmhouse from the west, the opposite end from where the barn stood. He'd taken to a deer path just inside the trees, and broke out of the treeline in time to see Sonny's men attack the FBI agents prematurely. Keeping to the shadows and moving silently on cat feet, he slipped closer and closer to the house. He caught a glimpse of his family and friends through the kitchen window. They were under guard, but appeared to be unhurt – Bo was relieved. He also noticed a cache of dynamite arrows stowed under the edge of the porch, and the beginnings of a plan formed in his mind.

As the gunfight moved towards the barn, he dashed across the last open space to the General Lee. Reaching into the back seat, he grabbed his bow from where he'd tossed it the night before. With another check towards the fight, he dashed to the edge of the porch for the dynamite arrows, and then back to better cover away from the house. He circled around into the cotton rows again, bending low to avoid being seen. He was a few hundred yards from the barn when two things happened at once: Luke, Cooter, and Uncle Jesse burst from the farmhouse and charged into the fight, and two sedans thundered up the drive, loaded with Sonny's cavalry.

----------

Bo watched in horror as Sonny's reinforcements quickly ended the fight. Overpowered and outnumbered, the FBI agents were rounded up. A few lay on the ground, unmoving, and several more had to be dragged into line with the others. Bo spotted Carter and Chalmers among those still standing. Luke, Jesse, and Cooter, who put up a good fight, were also recaptured, as were Daisy and Enos, who had been caught trying to sneak out to Dixie. Bo had to move fast. Doubling his speed, he ran for the barn, heedless of his cover. The conspirators' eyes were focused elsewhere, though, as they circled the knot of captives, guns reloaded and ready.

----------

Luke trembled as he was forced to his knees, hands clasped behind his head like all the others. He couldn't see Daisy and Jesse behind him, but he knew they were there. _This is it_, he thought. They had won. It was the end of the Dukes, once and for all. Boss Hogg and Roscoe weren't even there to see it. No, he corrected himself, Bo was still out there somewhere. He would carry on the family legacy.

Sonny was talking at the front of the captive group, smug and boastful. "You really made a mess of things, didn't you, Dan?" he asked, stopping in front of Agent Chalmers. "My, my. Thirty-four years in the agency, and this is what it comes to? And you, little lady," he stopped in front of Daisy. Luke bristled, fighting the urge to lunge at him anyway. "You country bumpkins need to learn when to keep your nose out of trouble. You shouldn't mess with us big boys," he mocked. "I told you, you picked the wrong night to visit, friend," he spoke in an aside to Cooter.

That was when the first sedan exploded.

Sonny whirled around, mouth agape at the plume of flame. The second car exploded before his eyes, throwing fragments of glass and metal into the air. He couldn't see the grin spreading across Luke Duke's face behind his back.

----------

Bo sent three more dynamite arrows flying through the air, bursting into flame in loose piles of hay scattered on the ground near the circle of thugs. Sonny's men dove for cover as a shower of dirt rained down and gouts of smoke billowed upwards. Bo cocked his ear for a moment, to be sure of the sound he heard, before smiling again. He dropped the bow and gathered up his tools – he gripped a large sheet of metal in his left hand, once an old cellar door but now a shield with the old handle for a grip. In his right hand, he held the metal pipe, solid and strong. Using the bow had cost him, though – he'd felt the stitches in his shoulder tear, and the bandage felt warm with blood. He ignored the pain and readied himself. He had to hold them just long enough.

* * *


	10. Bones and Bruises

**Author's Note: Squeamish alert!**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Bones and Bruises**

It was only seconds after the last explosion when Luke heard what he'd been waiting for.

"YEEEEEE-HAAAAAAWW!" came the long rebel yell in his cousin's voice as Bo emerged through the smoke and flames at full charge. He plowed into Sonny and the string of men standing near him, throwing his left shoulder into the shield of metal and sending them crashing to the ground. Several didn't get up.

"Shoot him!" Sonny screamed, scrambling to get his feet under him. Nearly two-dozen guns centered on Bo, firing until the ammunition ran out. Most didn't get past the metal sheet as he dodged, but he felt the heavy, painful thumps of a few on his chest and back, and was suddenly very glad of Carter's vest. At the same time, the captive agents and Hazzard residents jumped to their feet and back into the fray, finding themselves no longer under guard. The thugs who were shooting at Bo found themselves attacked from all sides, and hardly knew which way to turn.

The fight wasn't quick, however - the criminal gang still outnumbered the assorted good guys. Bo did his best to even the odds. Two thugs standing a little apart from the rest continued to shoot at him. They seemed to be the last two with firearms. He glanced around his shield long enough to locate them before charging headlong at the pair with a yell. They tumbled into each other, guns flying out of reach. Bo chucked the heavy sheet of metal away, having served its purpose, and switched the pipe to his left hand just in time to parry another man using a wooden slat as a club. Methodically he fended off his attackers and sought new foes when none presented themselves. Bo was beginning to enjoy himself – without the guns, it wasn't much more than a big bar fight. He caught a glimpse of Daisy walloping one of the gorillas over the head with the butt of Uncle Jesse's shotgun, and Luke pitching one of the tall men from the lake over his shoulder.

Bo wasn't quite sure just when the pickup trucks arrived – the second half of the FBI force – but he suddenly found himself short on targets. Some of the thugs tried to run, only to be quickly cornered. A small group holed themselves up in the barn long enough to reload, and there was a short firefight over that way. Most of the gang, though, either gave themselves up or lay groaning on the dirt.

Panting, Bo let the pipe fall to the ground and took a few steps towards his cousin, who was likewise looking around breathlessly. Luke looked at him and grinned. The grin fell as Luke looked past Bo, who turned around in time to see Sonny furiously bearing down on him with the heavy metal pipe. He dodged, but not fast enough. The gangster brought the pipe smashing down on his ribs with a snarl. Bo fell to his knees, crying out in pain. Sonny raised the pipe a second time, but missed his blow as Luke barreled into him, tackling him to the ground. Both men rolled several yards with the momentum of the hit, but it was Sonny who regained his feet first. He took one look at the Duke cousins closest to him, and the federal agents closer to the house who were beginning to notice the new struggle, and bolted into the cotton fields.

Luke took off after him like a hound after a fox. Bo took a little longer, regaining his feet and stopping at the edge of the barn to collect his bow and last pair of dynamite arrows. He let the sound of Luke's running feet guide him. At the first lane between the fields, he looked right to see both men running down the open space towards the cow pasture and the forest beyond. Sonny was just jumping the fence, with Luke maybe ten yards behind him. Bo gave chase, still not close enough to fire and be sure of his aim. Ahead, Luke reached the wooden fence, jumping up with one foot, then the other, but as he pushed off with his left leg to vault over the top, his right foot slipped on the dew-covered wood and slid between the railings. His momentum carried him forward, and he crashed to the ground on the other side with a snap of bone and a howl of pain.

"LUKE!" Bo cried out, redoubling his speed. Each breath felt like fire in his chest. He reached the fence, carefully climbing over. "Luke!" he said again. His cousin lay on his back, right leg twisted at an angle, face screwed tight with pain.

"Get him, Bo!" he ordered through clenched teeth. "Go!"

Bo hesitated for only a moment before resuming the chase, doubly determined. Sonny was at the fence on the far side of the pasture, almost to the safety of the woods. Without Luke to worry about hitting, Bo stopped, nocked an arrow on his bowstring, aimed, and fired. The arrow flew in a long arc before explosively hitting the ground a few yards from Sonny, knocking him to the ground. The second arrow hit a bit closer, and knocked him into the base of a tree. He didn't get up. Bo turned and ran back to Luke. Half a dozen agents were coming down the lane at a run.

"How you doin', cuz?" he asked worriedly, kneeling on the ground.

"We thought they had you…we thought they were gonna kill you…" Luke said instead of replying. He was breathing hard, and he grabbed his cousin's hand tightly as the six agents approached.

"Sonny is down by the treeline," Bo told them, and three broke off and headed that way. He looked up at the other three. "There's some wooden planks in the barn. Go get one, and bring another man back with you. We need to get him to a hospital," Bo ordered. Any other time, Luke might have laughed to hear Jesse's imperious tone in Bo's voice.

Still gripping Luke's hand, Bo leaned down to have a look at the break. Blood was soaking a wet patch into his jeans, and a sharp white tip of bone showed through a jagged tear. "God…" Bo whispered. Luke didn't hear.

A moment later the agents returned with the promised plank, Jesse, Daisy, and Cooter in tow. Together they slid the plank under Luke as gently as they could, but he passed out when it touched his leg. The agents, Cooter, and Jesse carefully lifted the plank and its injured load and passed it across the fence. On the other side, they quickly but carefully moved back down the lane and through the cotton rows to the main scene. Bo trailed along behind, aching something terrible. Daisy noticed him lagging, and stayed with him until they reached the farmhouse.

The crew of thugs working under Sonny Leavins sat handcuffed together in a long row, like some hellish daisy chain. Half a dozen FBI agents had been seriously injured, and were being helped into the two pickups to be taken to Tricounty General. That was the direction Luke was carried in, until Jesse stopped them.

"We'll take him an' Bo in my truck," he said. The agents nodded understanding and turned towards the white pickup in front of the farmhouse. "Bo!" Jesse called to his young nephew, who was standing in the middle of the yard looking rather dazed. At his uncle's call, he slowly walked over. Daisy came out of the farmhouse with a load of pillows and blankets.

"Bo, you get on in back with Luke an' Daisy. We need to get you both to the hospital," Jesse explained.

Bo nodded numbly and waited for Daisy to climb in first. She placed a pillow under Luke's head and covered him up. Then she helped Bo up and sat him down next to Luke, his back to the truck cab, and wrapped another blanket around his shoulders. He seemed to be in shock, as the adrenaline wore off. He shivered, and smiled at her appreciatively. Then Daisy shut the tailgate and sat down in the corner of the truck bed next to Bo, letting him lean on her for support.

"We're all set, Uncle Jesse!" she called to her uncle, who climbed into the driver's seat.

"Wait, y'all are leaving me behind!" Cooter ran up and climbed into the passenger seat. "Enos said he'll be along in his car soon, he's going to wrap things up here for us," he told Jesse.

Jesse started the engine and rumbled off down the drive, leaving the whole scene behind.

-----------

It was the longest car drive of Daisy's life. Bo leaned against her, shivering here and there, though she knew he wasn't cold, and his breathing was ragged and pained. Luke was ghost-pale, and whimpered every time the truck hit a rut or pothole. He didn't fully regain consciousness for several miles, but when he did, he immediately sought Bo's hand again. Cooter watched all three Duke cousins through the cab window, brow furrowed with worry. Jesse was silent, speeding as fast as he dared with his precious cargo.

The FBI had called ahead to the hospital, so the emergency room staff was ready when the white pickup arrived. Bo fought, initially, against being separated from his cousin, until he understood that Luke had to go straight into surgery. Jesse and Daisy waited with Bo in an examination room, while Cooter parked the truck. First a nurse came in and brusquely took Bo's vitals, writing notes down on a clipboard with an 'Mmm-hmmm', and left. The doctor came in soon after, and they stepped back to give him room.

Bo was sitting on the edge of the bed, feet dangling, holding himself up with his left arm. He watched, almost distantly, as the doctor unbuttoned and peeled his shirt off. The blood from his right arm had soaked through the bandages into the sleeve. Then the doctor cut the straps of the flak vest and gently pulled it away from his chest. Daisy gasped.

The left side of his ribs and chest were covered in a deep, black bruise that spread around to his back. At the center of the bruise, where Sonny had hit him with the pipe, the skin was split and sticky with blood. A dozen other places on his chest and back sported spreading purple-black bruises, where impacting bullets had been stopped by the vest. In one place, just above the waistband of his jeans, a bullet had missed the vest and torn a gash in his side. No one had noticed the bloodstains on his shirt and jeans.

Bo blinked and looked up when he realized the doctor was speaking to him.

"Son – sit back on the bed," the man told him. He worked a lever to bring the head of the bed upright at an angle, and Jesse and Daisy helped him move back. He rested against the pillows, leaning back just as Cooter appeared in the doorway.

"Bo! How's – Holy Jesus!" the mechanic swore, staring.

The doctor stepped aside, telling Jesse he'd be right back to get x-rays.

"Jesus is just fine, Cooter, I wish I felt the same," Bo remarked tiredly.

"They took Luke right in for surgery. We haven't heard anything," Daisy informed Cooter.

A moment later the doctor was back with an x-ray machine, and all three stepped back from the bed. They watched him as he moved the machinery into different places and pushed buttons, with a _whhhrrrr-click_ at each spot. A nurse came in for the machine and delivered a tray of tools and supplies that look quite familiar – sutures, gauze swabs, and disinfectant. She promised the x-ray films shortly.

The doctor – Doctor Graham, Daisy noticed his name tag – sat down on Bo's right side to have a look at the new bullet wound. Jesse put an arm around Daisy's shoulders, and Cooter suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"Bo, I, ah, I'm not much for this kind of thing…y'all mind of I wait outside?" he asked awkwardly, scuffing his foot.

Bo smiled with half-closed eyes. "It's alright, Cooter, go ahead." The mechanic smiled appreciatively and ducked out of the room.

Fortunately, the second wound was neither as deep nor as serious as the first one, barely biting down into the muscle. Doctor Graham cleaned and stitched it up just before the nurse returned with the films. He thanked her and switched on the light box on the wall. He frowned at what he saw. The image of Sonny's damage was the worst – four of Bo's ribs were fractured in multiple places, and the one under the torn skin was positively shattered. The other films confirmed these wounds, and also showed spots of bruised bone under the bullet impacts, back and front. One had cracked a rib on the right, but it was only a hairline fracture. Graham explained the images and fractures to Jesse and Daisy – Bo had fallen asleep. Then, gently, he listened intently with his stethoscope to Bo's lungs. After several moments' silence, he looked up with a pleased smile.

"The good news is, there's no pneumothorax – none of the broken rib fragments punctured his lungs," he explained. "I'll patch him up and send him upstairs. We'll keep him the rest of the night and probably most of the day, and we'll see how he's doing then."

Just then Cooter walked back in, followed by Enos. Daisy noticed how busy it seemed to have gotten in the emergency room outside - the federal agents had arrived with their wounded, and the injured prisoners as well.

"How's Bo and Luke doin'?" Enos asked, eyeing the bruises on the sleeping figure.

"Oh, Bo's busted up pretty good, but he'll be alright," Jesse told him, "They sent Luke straight in to surgery, we haven't heard anything yet on him."

"Oh," Enos nodded. He was as worried as any of them. "Well, I've got an aunt here in town, just down the road - I called her up, and she said she'd have rooms for y'all, if you like. I brought y'all some clothes from the farm, too."

Daisy smiled. "Enos, that's sweet of you!"

"And a good idea, too," Jesse said. "There's not much more you kids can do here. Why don't you go on out with Enos and get some rest. I'll give you a call as soon as I hear anything more."

Daisy wanted to protest, but she was tired, and she knew Jesse wouldn't be able to sleep with the boys in the hospital. "Alright, then. Let's go."

Enos wrote down his aunt's phone number for Jesse and, with a sad look back at Bo, he followed Cooter and Daisy out the door.

**Now, I don't know about y'all, but I better see a happy ending to all this hurtin'.**

* * *


	11. Kittens in a Litter

**Author's Note: Triple squeamish alert!**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Kittens in a Litter**

Dawn had broken in the eastern sky when a nurse came and told Jesse that Luke was out of surgery. The Duke patriarch had stayed with Bo and filled out paperwork for the hospital staff until they came to transfer his nephew to a ward upstairs. They'd asked him to wait in the waiting room until the boy was settled into his room, and Jesse had dozed off waiting for permission to go back in with Bo. Now he sat waiting for a doctor to come and bring him to Luke's room.

"Mr. Duke?" a white-coated man stood at the waiting room door, holding a file and what Jesse now recognized as an x-ray film packet. "Mr. Jesse Duke?"

"That'd be me," Jesse looked around the empty waiting room.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Peters, I was your… ah, nephew, is it? I was your nephew's surgeon."

Jesse shook his hand, and couldn't help but notice the smell of blood and disinfectant on the man. "How's my boy, doctor?"

"Well, he's doing just fine, now, he's still sleeping from the anesthesia. That was a rather bad break, but the surgery went quite well. If you'll come down this way, I can show you the x-rays, and then take you in to see him."

They walked down the hall and stopped at an empty nurse's station. The surgeon flipped on the light box and pulled out the first pair of films. Jesse blanched and swallowed hard at what he saw.

"Quite a bad break, as I said before," Peters explained, "His tibia and fibula - the two bones in the lower leg - both broke and splintered. The tibia punctured the skin here," he pointed with a pen, "and the fibula here. Both missed the major arteries, but lacerated several smaller ones and did a fair amount of damage to the muscle and soft tissue. Now, let me show you how it is now," he said, pulling off the first two films and putting up the second pair.

The drastic difference relieved Jesse.

"I reset the bones and placed pins here, here, and here. Those will ensure that the bones heal straight. I was able to repair the major arterioles and much of the muscle damage. All in all, I'm rather pleased with how it turned out," the doctor declared. Though his bedside manner was a bit lacking, Jesse had to agree that the surgeon had done a fine job.

"Can I see him now?" he asked, trying not to sound impatient.

"Oh, of course! Right this way."

He led the way down the hallway and around the corner, stopping at a darkened room with an open door. Jesse looked in before stepping through the doorway. Luke's was the only bed in the small room. He looked all for the world like he was just sleeping, maybe after a hard day's work in the fields. The hospital gown was a dead giveaway, of course. His leg lay propped on a pair of stacked pillows, wrapped in gauze and immobilized by a wire frame. A couple of wires snaked out from under the blankets, connected to a silent machine with a green screen showing a set of numbers Jesse didn't know how to read. Jesse watched him, a million thoughts and memories running through his mind, until Doctor Peters spoke again.

"He'll need to stay here for several days, until he heals enough for a regular cast," Peters explained. Jesse nodded without looking at him, and the doctor took that as the cue to leave. "The nurse's station is just down this hallway, if you need anything."

When he had left, Jesse walked into the room and sat down in the high-backed armchair that sat next to the bed. It was then that he noticed that Luke's black eye from the previous night still hadn't healed, and that tonight's fighting had added a cut on his chin. Jesse sat back and wondered how many parents had sat in that chair, spending a lonely night's vigil with a son or daughter. As he thought about it, his eyelids drifted shut, and he fell asleep, exhausted.

-----------

A few hours later, Jesse woke up to the sound of Luke's voice.

"Uncle Jesse?" the boy asked softly, peering up at him.

"I'm here, Luke," Jesse said, sitting up straight.

"Where's Bo?"

Jesse smiled, not surprised that was the first question he asked.

"He's in another room down the hall."

"Oh." Luke was quiet for a moment, looking around the room, at his leg, at his uncle. He hadn't moved or sat up. "How bad is it?" he finally asked.

Jesse's smile faltered. "Oh…" He couldn't manage even to fudge it. "It was pretty bad, but you had a good surgeon, and I think you'll be just fine."

"Oh…that's good, I guess." Luke closed his eyes again. "Uncle Jesse?"

"Yes, Luke?"

"Will you stay until I fall asleep?"

"Yes, Luke. I'll stay."

A bit later, when Jesse was sure his nephew was sleeping soundly, he stood up and stretched, and went looking for the nurse's station. He found it down the hall, staffed by a pretty-looking brunette a little older than Luke.

"Excuse me, miss. I've been waiting to hear where they moved my nephew Bo. I was told someone would come tell me, but no one did."

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir," she apologized, "That happens sometimes. What's his name again?"

"Beauregard Duke."

"Oh, yes, he's back down the hall, room 312. You know, a nurse from downstairs told me someone from the FBI was asking about him, but she just sent that man packing. You wouldn't believe the stories we get!"

Jesse thanked her and went to go find the room. To his annoyance, it turned out to be just three doors down and across the hall from Luke's room. There were two beds in this one. An elderly gentleman occupied the bed closest to the window, and Bo was closer to the door. He, too, was sleeping, but propped up instead of laying flat. Dr. Graham had told Jesse earlier that it would be easier for him to breathe that way. His nephew was muttering in his sleep, his foot twitching occasionally - it didn't sound like a good dream. Jesse walked over and placed a hand on his good shoulder.

"Bo! Bo, wake up, son. It's just a dream."

Bo's eyes flickered open, and he looked up. "Uncle Jesse?"

Jesse smiled, and repeated nearly the same conversation he'd had with Luke.

When Bo was sleeping soundly again, Jesse left his room and went in search of a restroom and a payphone. He found one, then the other, and called the number Enos gave him.

_"Garnett residence, Lucy speaking,"_ answered the other end.

"Why hello, Mrs. Garnett, this is Jesse Duke…Enos gave me your phone number?" he began cautiously, hoping he had the right house.

_"Oh, yes, Mr. Duke!"_

"Call me Jesse, please."

_"Alright then, Jesse - oh, those poor dears, they were exhausted, I sent them right to bed. They're sleeping still. Is everything alright there?"_ she inquired.

"Yes, Mrs. Garnett…"

_"Lucy, please."_

"Lucy, then. Yes, the boys are both sleeping. I just wanted to let you all know they're doing just fine. There's no reason for Daisy and Enos and Cooter to rush down here when they wake up."

_"Oh alright, I'll tell them, I'm sure they'll be very relieved. And what about you, dear? You can't have gotten much rest yourself."_

"Oh, I've gotten a bit here and there. Don't you worry about me, I'm used to it, raising these two."

_"Alright then. Thank you for calling, Jesse dear, I'll pass the message along. I'm sure we'll see you later on."_

Jesse said his goodbyes and hung up, just as he heard his name called from the end of the hallway.

"Mr. Duke?" The nurse did not have a happy expression.

_Oh no._ "Yes, ma'am?" He walked to meet her at the end of the hall.

"Mr. Duke, I don't want to alarm you, but I'm afraid I was making rounds of the patients on the floor and…your nephew Beauregard appears to be missing."

Jesse's heart leaped into his throat for the fourth time in twenty-four hours. He walked on past the nurse, headed for the room on the other side of the floor. Counting down the numbers, he saw 318…316…314…312. Walking in, sure enough, Bo's bed was empty. The blankets were tossed aside, and one of the pillows had fallen on the floor. A quick search of the room proved his absence, as did a check of the adjoining bathroom. _Not again…_

Growing anxious, Jesse walked back into the hallway down to Luke's room, the check on his older nephew. 311…309…307…305. Jesse walked into the darkened room and felt tears of relief pricking his eyes.

Bo Duke sat in the high-backed chair next to his cousin, sound asleep.

**Now ain't that a sight? I swear those Duke cousins are closer than kittens in a litter. **

**----------**

**Now, I'm sure you're wondering what all came of this hectic weekend. Well, Bo was released from the hospital that afternoon, but he refused to leave until Luke was released four days later, sportin' a cast on his leg signed with half a dozen nurses' phone numbers. The two of them spent the next month living the good life in the family room of the Duke home, Luke stretched out on the couch and Bo taking up Uncle Jesse's comfy old armchair. Of course, they got bored pretty quick with Daisy serving them meals and playing checkers with anyone they could corner, but they did alright.**

**The FBI and the federal government was real happy with the help they got from the Dukes in capturing Sonny and his gang. The government paid for all Bo and Luke's hospital bills, for Cooter's stolen tires, for reupholstering the General, and gave them a $50,000 reward, too. Now, most of that went to buying a new tractor, 'cause Jesse couldn't get anywhere with the old one, and for hiring some hands to work in the fields, since the boys were ordered to rest and recuperate. Jesse squirreled away the leftovers for a rainy day, but don't tell Luke and Bo that.**

**Bo got his peach cobbler from Ann Samuels, too, and a lot of kisses to wash it down. He shared with Luke, of course. As for the Samuels girls, they visited the boys all that month, but when Bo and Luke were well on the road to recovery, the girls said goodbye - it was just too dangerous to associate with a Duke, their daddy said. And of course, when Roscoe and Boss Hogg came back from their trip out of town and found out what had happened, they blamed it all on poor Enos.**

**THE END**

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